African Adventure
by joeann
Summary: What will happen when a New Yorker travels to Africa for an end of school year vacation? Full of adventure and friendship!
1. Chapter 1

African Adventure

June 11, 2006

Evening

Hello, my name is Sara Margaret Jones. I am eighteen and just got out of high school. My hair is a light brown, I'm five foot eight inches, and my eyes are blue. I live in the United States on the east coast of New York were I am currently staying with my grandmother, Jane. I know that people might think that because I live in the city, or near one, I should love to shop and wear makeup and all that junk. But I don't! I love to hike in the mountains and camp outdoors with the stars above my eyes and watch the sunrise and play in the grass. So _I _ask others 'Why are you in a hazy, smelly, dirty city when you could be outside in the natural world were every thing is, well, natural?' So I thought I should just get away from all this nonsense and go for a _long_ trip to…AFRICA!!!

That's were I am right now, well maybe not but I'm on a flight _to_ Africa and it's a fun ride if you don't count the smell of babies and people who haven't showered for a day. But in the end I get to see a magnificent picture of the ocean for I am in the window seat! Yay!

Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you more. Granny gave me this journal so that she could know all about my trip that she paid for me to go on (well, I paid for some but that was close to nothing…). She knows that I'm horrible at repeating and remembering things but I'm _awesome _at writing things down.

June 12, 2006

Early evening

Oooooo, guess what!!! I just saw my first glance of, yes, you guessed it…AFRICA!!! I saw the cap of…I think they call it Cap Skiring, but I don't know really because I will be going further inland. I won't be spending too much time there in Bamako; it's just an airport and there are too many people.

Well I guess I should tell you about my trip and why I'm going to those places because you'll be following me around so you might get lost:

Timbuktu

Mud buildings and wells

Remoteness

Nakuru

Flamingoes. Here, it's said you can't even see the ground because there are so many!

Rhino's

Much more animals

Masai Mara

Mostly to see the animals like wildebeest, lions, cheetahs, and hyena's

Well there you go! I know it's not much but money and time were limited.

We're about to land because I can see the ground coming closer to us…or maybe we're crashing!!! Ahhhh!!! No I'm only joking, Granny, don't worry!!!

June 16, 2006

Afternoon

Hey there!! Sorry I haven't written in so long but I've been sleeping off the jet lag from going to the other side of the world.

Right now I'm on a tour bus (one of many) with a lot of other people going to other stops on this route and I feel kinda crowded…yet when I look out side, I know everything is worth it. There may be just dirt and other dried up plants but that's what it's all about! It's natural! The sun beats down and oozes through the bus and the acrid air slides through the open windows and settles on top of you like a heavy wool blanket. The suns, bright rays heat all in sight. Small animals hop and scavenge about, looking for liquid in the parched plains.

Although I'm sharing a row-for-two seat with two other people and their child, I find myself wishing that this place were my home.

Yes I know it may sound somewhat odd for the most part but here, I feel like was born to live in a hot and dry yet beautiful and natural landscape. I feel…comfortable. There aren't any cars to make noise, no factories to pollute the air we breathe, and no buildings to destroy the natural landscape like trees and mountains and streams and plants.

The people here in Africa may look at me with some hostility or some curiosity but I know that it's for a reason; I'm like a one, bright, shining star in the dark night sky. Oops that sounded a little rude but I think you understand. There are some white people here: scientists, ambassadors, government officials, and tourists. Technically, I am a tourist but I hope I don't stand out like the rest of them. Truly I don't think so, because my hat isn't tilted to the side and upward, my camera looks official and not small or cheap, and my cloths, a long dress like piece of cloth, look somewhat local. Phew!!! That's a load off my mind!

The intercom thing in the bus just announced that 'Our destination, Timbuktu, is approaching'. Doesn't that sound weird? Shouldn't it be 'We are approaching our destination, Timbuktu'? Well, who am I to say what's right and what's wrong when I'm in a foreign country?

Aha! I see the town of Timbuktu!!! I'll write later!

Later on today

Ok, before I start writing anything, I need to tell you that I was wrong when I called this place a town. It's more of a gathering of twenty small families with some barns and a few holy places. Oh yeah and a good amount of tourists. So maybe it is a town…I don't know…

IT'S HOT!!! I bet it's maybe 105°F, that's _average_!!! Can you believe that?! On the coast, the average is 50°-60°! Wow. Well even though the sun is sooooo heavy, there are still people working around outside. But now that I look at stuff…almost everything is in the shade…and the people stay away from the direct sunlight.

I just got off the bus and checked in my bag of luggage at the small hotel that I'm staying at. While walking around with my canteen that is loaded with water, I write in this journal, how talented am I??? Writing and walking!!!

Ahhh, it's too hot!!! Now I've sat on a step and every so often people walk by…I like it here. It's very peaceful and quiet like and I can just sit back and look at the surroundings.

I think every building and stairway and windowsill and _everything_ else is made out of mud. That makes perfect sense because mud can cool things and it won't burn easily like wood. Here, there are some cool arches and house sides that are curved and so graceful they look as though a giant bubble occupies their inside. There are neat columns of mud/sand that seem indestructible and to have lasted over one hundred years, yet it may not be that long. Every person (that I see every ten minutes) wears a headscarf to cover his or her face and head. I might get one for the heat has already given me a slight burn…

WOW!!! I just saw the coolest thing _ever_!!!! A donkey just walk by and it was carrying hay, only its load was _four_ times it's own size!!! No joke!!!

Oops, my stomach just snarled at me so now off to find food! I hope it's fresh…

Late at night

I'm starting to feel bad about my assumfulness because once again I was wrong. I know, I was wrong, can you believe it?

Walking down the paths between houses munching on some fruit I bought I at the daily market, I noticed that suddenly there were sooo many more people walking around. I was astounded! It was as though an anthill had exploded! I knew that there were no more buses coming in and out of town and that any traveling by mules was done in small numbers. So I just wandered back and forth through the buildings looking as bewildered as I was.

I saw that quite a few people were tired, so I took it as not going to bed on time for I was sleepy too. But then right in front of me, someone walked out of their house and stretched and yawned like they'd woken up from a good sleep.

BOOM!!! That's when I realized that these people were smart enough to sleep off the heat and do their daily stuff during the cooler night. Only did some work through the day. I thought, how adaptive is that?

So I once my revelation was complete, I myself yawned huge enough to swallow a whole watermelon! Sometimes jet lag will just get you at the darnedest moments. And sadly, I was hoping I could get some cool pictures of the town when everything is alive. Already my eyes droop as I write this in my small bed that happens to be too small and there are

June 17, 2006

Morning

Well now don't you worry your little head off! I only fell asleep last night so fast that I couldn't finish the sentence. I was just going to say that there are small bugs that are invisible and they bite! I wasn't attacked or anything like that! But you know what? I hear that this place is full of robbers and bandits because the official system is…well…not really up to date, I guess, because this place is so remote. So it might be for the best if I hide my stuff somewhere so that people don't know about it…

In the evening

You will never guess what happened to me just a moment ago!

All right, you know how I said that there are robbers and thieves everywhere? Well I was walking in the market looking for some food and I saw the most scrumptious tomato. It was perfectly round, gleaming red, and huge. So I bought it from the lady selling the delicious delicacies after some confusion with currency and I was just about to put the tomato in my bag when this little twerp runs up and grabs it from my hand! I start shouting for someone to stop him because I wanted that tomato, but everyone either ignored or watched this little thief run away with _my_ tomato. So I chased him.

We ran down the streets and even through a house…oops. Outside again, he turned into an alley with me just behind him. When I turned into the alley, I stopped suddenly because there was this woman my age holding the little brat by the collar of his shirt. She talked to him in their language and he seemed to disagree. She glowered at him and he finally gave up and tossed the tomato at me, which I only just caught before it could hit anything. Then I safely stored my tomato in my bag were it couldn't be harmed and looked up to the woman standing in front of me.

She was tall for her age and had very dark skin, almost literally black. Her hair was tied into a bun and pinned up behind an earthy handkerchief. She wore a long brown skirt and a white tank top. She was slim but weathered as though she worked in the fields for a living. She wore only one set of jewelry, which was a pair of beautiful earrings. They were loops of wire with light brown beads fading in to a dark brown color. On the center of each was a vibrantly polished piece of wood that dangled to and fro.

I smiled at her hoping that she would understand that I was trying to thank her for help. She flashed a smile back, her teeth a strong contrast with her skin. Suddenly, we heard some shouting and both turned to the door that she had apparently come out of. We looked just in time to dodge two small bags. Behind them came a small, stout woman with a cooking apron around her neck, she started furiously shouting at the woman next to me and the slammed the door right in her face.

She turned to me with despair and looked at me with worry written all over her face. I immediately felt pity for her and quickly realized what had happened. She had been thrown out of her home and now she was alone. I picked up one of the bags thrown and handed it over to her. She warily accepted it and quickly snatched up her other bag and began to trot down the alley.

I was caught flat footed and dashed after her. I stepped in front of her and started to mumble something about her staying with me until she was back on he feet again. Surprisingly she understood whatever I had just said. She did speak English but she had a heavy accent. She studied me from head to toe, maybe wondering if she could trust me. Slowly she responded with a nod. I was so excited that I had a friend all ready; I jumped in the air and grabbed her hand. We dashed towards our room so that she could drop her stuff off and maybe we could eat, we were both starving!

So that's where I am now. She found some bread in one of her bags and I purchased some cheese so we could have a light dinner of those and my tomato, which was spectacular by the way.

While I listen to her talking to me, I can tell you she has much knowledge on the troubles of life and she has been just about everywhere in Africa. Her name is Esainkiki, but she said that I could call her Kiki if her full name was a mouth full. That's a relief!

Kiki tells me her family is in Kenya in a small place called Masai Mara and where she hasn't been for some time. I literally spit the water I was drinking all over bed. I'm kinda embarrassed because she's laughing until she cries and I feel like I hugely over reacted. I'm telling her about my plans to go there, and I hope I'm saving myself some humiliation…

Late at night

Right now the small town is falling asleep and Kiki's asleep in a small bed we made on the floor.

After my aqua eruption, as Kiki calls it, we were quiet and listened to the sounds of the beginning night market. The braying of the donkeys, the shout of venders, the whisper of a setting sun. I was oblivious to the sounds for I was furiously mentally calculating the cost of two people traveling to Kenya. Once I came to a total, I reviewed the money I had with me and realized with glee I could afford it!

I asked Kiki if she would like to accompany me to Masai Mara and Nakuru. She looked like a startled newborn kitten. I almost laughed aloud but thought the better of it; she might think I was fooling with her. She looked at me with a curious look, one that questions the honesty of people. I kindly smiled at her, hopefully she would say yes!

She asked why Nakuru, I said because I was sooo interested in the flamingoes! She gave me that look again and before it could get to me I told her she could think about it because I would be staying her for another few days. She kept looking at me in that odd way and finally she responded yes…YES!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!! SHE'S GONNA COME WITH ME TO KENYA!!!!!!! I'm so excited I had to erase the last sentence and redo it because I kept messing up!...YAY!


	2. Chapter 2

June 21, 2006

Late morning

It's been a long time since I've written and I'm sorry but I just haven't had the time. Kiki and I walked all over Timbuktu and she's told me everything there is to know about this place and all the small things that you couldn't find in a tourist brochure.

Timbuktu in French means, "well of the woman named 'Bouctou'". And 'Bouctou' is a word that means, "belly button" for she had a large belly button. She also had a well that was the meeting place for tradesmen who would travel across Africa from the North, East and South, to barter their goods with the West Africans, who came from…well, West Africa. Kiki showed me the original well that Bouctou used and it's awesome! She also showed me some families who made superb food, like but didn't sell at the market.

Right now, Kiki and I are on another bus (the fifth in two days) that will take us to Nakuru and then we will go to Masai Mara to see her family. For the past two days, we have done absolutely nothing but sit on buses and ride them all through the night and day and eat bad tasting food.

Ooh but the good news is Kiki and I came up with a cool handshake!!!!

June 22, 2006

Morning

A few hours ago, our bus arrived in Nakuru and we have just been sleeping in and enjoying our spacious hotel rooms after hot and cramped bus rides. Now we are getting ready to go and look at flamingoes at Lake Nakuru that are said to be sooooo numerous. At this hotel, Kiki had enough money to rent this room for the both of us, how nice of her.

Afternoon

We drove down to Lake Nakuru, which took about fifteen minutes. There, we literally saw pink in every corner of the eye and as far as the eye could reach. It was a river, no not that…an ocean of flamingoes. They stood about on one leg and preened themselves, bathed themselves, and plumped right on down to gossip about the day's happenings. There wasn't just one flock, but hundreds. They spread out in large streams pink and stood in the lake, enjoying the lakes' abundance of algae. I got the coolest pictures from this adventure. Kiki said that she has seen this many many times but still she is ever amazed at how magnificent this wonder is.

After we stood there for about an hour, we turned to walk along the lake's edge. We talked for a while about how Kiki had come to travel and not stay with her family. How she had left Masai Mara because of it's danger, and how much she loved to be in new places.

We turned around a bend and stopped dead in our tracks. Just in front of us, maybe 100 yards away, was a gathering of rhinos. I was suddenly frightened at being so close to animals that I didn't know very well. But Kiki seemed enthusiastic about coming so close to these animals. We ran up a small hill and got down on our bellies and watched the herd for a while.

I was so thankful that Kiki had brought me up here; we had the best birds eye view of the animals surrounding the lake. There were a couple more herds of rhinoceros digging in the dirt and rubbing against the scarce trees and there were so many flocks of birds that there wasn't one moment when a flock didn't take off. I looked around and saw my first warthog burrowing in the mud; Kiki said he was looking for minerals.

To my right there laid the vast lake. The top would ripple every now and again like the turn of a crystal. Beyond that there were some hills edging the lake with their superb greenness and then the crystal blue sky straight above our heads.

To my left was Kiki, she down on her stomach with her eyes closed. I assumed she was enjoying this lovely sight. On the other side of Kiki was the small city that we stayed at while enjoying the animals and just behind us were the flock of flamingoes enjoying the waters' nutrition.

After sitting there for a long time, long enough the have our stomachs grumble, we got up and wondered back to town where we could buy some bread and cheese for a light lunch. Kiki also bought some sort of meat that tasted very good until she told me it was meat from an animal that had lived in the wild. I almost spit it out because I don't deserve to eat this when I had so many other choices. This animal was killed only because it was wrongly wanted. But Kiki gave me her odd look again and the meat had been a treat, so I keep on chewing.

Late evening

Because Kiki paid for this room under her name, the hotel clerk recognized it and immediately got a messenger to send to the Masai Tribe. Apparently, some of the Masai warriors were in our room because many people were in the lobby and when we walked in the check on our luggage. They parted for us, or more for Kiki; I had to squeeze my way through because Kiki was like oil in water and I…water.

We arrived to our room and found our door open. Kiki led the way inside and when I walked in I saw two sturdy Masai warriors. Both of them had red cloth draped over their bodies, many little accessories, and a deadly looking spear in their hands. One was taller that the other while the other was shorter and much more muscular. They looked as though they had been expecting us because they were standing and looking directly at us when we walked in.

Kiki only stalled for a second before she bravely walked up to the two warriors and started to talk to them with a grave tone, it looked as though she knew them. I slipped into the room and backed against the wall while closing our door so eavesdroppers wouldn't have a fruitful experience.

As I listened to Kiki talking, I could see that an incredulous look was creeping upon her face. I knew that it would be a while before I could find out what was troubling my friend, so I sat on a stool that Kiki had placed against the wall earlier today and waited out the evening.

The entire time that I perched on that stool, a full three hours, the two warriors and Kiki sat on my bed and discussed something unknown to me. First, Kiki would sit quietly and listen, next, her voice would rise and disagree with the warriors, and then they would say something to immediately silence her. This pattern repeated itself for the darkening of the room.

I started to doze off while listening to the hum of their language when everything was suddenly quiet. I opened my eyes and found that Kiki was looking at me as though she were measuring. Seeing where she stared, the two warriors glanced my way and started to talk in hushed whispers.

Kiki still looked at me. I uneasily smiled at her, and to my surprise, she smiled back at me, fully heartedly and knowingly. She faced the two warriors, got their attention, looked them straight in the eye, squared her shoulders, and say one word, "Ee".

Now, I've spent enough time with Kiki to vaguely know that 'Ee' means 'yes'. But the reaction that this got out of the two warriors was quite peculiar.

They sat at their seats for one moment. Then, they got down and kneeled to Kiki. She stared at them, a kitten in a new world.

The warriors stood up and strode towards the door. They both stopped right as they were to leave and looked at me and said, "Ashi" very gently. I knew that it meant thank you, but I was too stunned to say anything back. Even if I could've, though, there would be nothing to say because I didn't know what I was being thanked for.

Kiki hurried and shooed the fighters out. She shut the door behind them and leaned her head against it, as though she were confused. My friend walked up to me, took my hands, and said she would tell me everything. We sat out the remainder of the night, me listening to what she had to say. Here's what she said:

The two warriors, Sefu, the taller one, and Tua, the stronger one, are the best of the best in a Masai Mara tribe that happens to be the one Kiki is from. They came here to tell Kiki that her father is dieing and that the tribe is a mess because of the soon to be loss. She didn't want to go back to the tribe for some reason but she did want to see her father before the end. The past three hours, the warriors had been persuading her to come back and care for her father. Once again she had refused to do so for some reason. The warriors said that if she would come, they would allow her friend, me, to come along if I had the ability to hike through the savanna. Kiki thought about this and finally decided that I could do it. The warriors thanked me because I had brought Kiki back home; she told me that was the hardest decision for her. That's when the warriors left to find housing in town.

WOW! That was quite ample!!! I now must close this journal to think about everything that just happened. Why was Kiki nervous to go to her home tribe? Was she banished? Why did the warriors thank me? Why is it so rare that I am allowed to go to the Masai Mara? Why did the two warriors, and Kiki, question my capability in traversing the savanna? Why was this entire matter so important?!

It's making my head spin.

June 23, 2006

Noon

I slept the morning until I heard noises in my room. I sat up and saw that Kiki was staring out the window, holding the curtain aside with a sedate hand. She blindly stared out the window to the waking market. Behind her, the noise that woke me was one of the warriors rummaging through my belongings. I stormed out of bed to stop this intrusion, but before I could get halfway across the room, Kiki grabbed my arm and looked at me warningly. She told me that because I had never hiked through savannas before, I needed someone to pack my gear. I looked in her deep brown eyes dubiously, but gave in all the same. She walked back to the window and I to the bed.

The warrior, undisturbed by my charge, business like through my clothes about in a seemingly unorganized manner. I looked closer and saw that my weather gear was in one pile, change of clothes in another, and miscellaneous in a third. The warrior rose with my pack and the weather gear in his arms and gave them to me, indicating that I should stow them.

After that, he sat down on the ground cross-legged and closed his eyes and started a deep-throated hum that sounded throughout the room and reverberated back to its source. Kiki looked around as if waking up from a deep sleep and noticed the meditating warrior. She crouched down into the same position, Sefu, I took it, for he was tall, had taken and combined her feminine thrum to that of Sefu's. I watched that for a minute before the door opened and a muscular Tua walked in. He had a parcel in his hand a paper wrapping in the other. He strode over to me placing the two packages in my arms and joined the others on the floor.

I looked at the paper wrapping and wafted the mouthwatering taste of fresh bread and meat. Opening the food, I sit here now munching on my wonderful late morning breakfast listening to the soothing drone of the three on the floor.

Tenty munutes latter

CAN YOU BELEVE THIS!!!! SEFU TIED TO THROW MI JOUNAL AWAY AND TOLD ME I COODN'T BING IT!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! I CAN'T EVN RITE IM SO MAD!!!! But I won.

Late evening

We left Nakuru at about two in the afternoon and trekked a forbidden pathway through the savanna. Well I now realize that it's forbidden for tourists to do so but not the natives. We're sitting by a fire now and watching the sunset and the stars rise and all the animals coming out for their meal. Kiki says the fire is so the animals will stay away from us. Phew! I hope so!

We sleep under the stars and will for the rest of the trip. Our food source is bread and any meat that Sefu and Tua find, or kill. Now I hope you can understand, I will eat this meat without resent because we need it to survive and there is no other sure source of food. Yes? Good.

Kiki's been worrying me because she is always looking off into the distance and it's unnerving to see my friend like that.


	3. Chapter 3

June 24, 2006

Late evening

I didn't realize how hard it would be to write in this journal. Not only can I not find supple time, but also I often lack the energy to move my pen and the lighting is always insufficient when I do choose to write.

I'm very tired tonight and I'm afraid that it will only get worse each night. Today, we walked unnoticed by animals, but we saw a pride of lions in the distance and herd of wildebeests later on.

At night, Sefu and Tua, and sometimes Kiki, take turns at who will take watch. We eat the same food for each meal; stale bread some sort of meat.

Not much excitement but, in truth, I do enjoy the sun in my face, the sound of grass beneath my boots, the call of birds in the distance, and the whisper of silence in every hole, nook, and cranny.

I must go to bed. My hands are slurring words and I have eyestrain from reading in the firelight.

June 26, 2006

Late evening

I think that the warriors know that Kiki and I aren't in as good a shape as they are for Kiki seems weary and I just the same. But the danger it far too great to stop moving.

The past days have gone by with naught but the peaceful mystery of the savanna. Today, though, a delightful scene amazed me. Walking in our usual column of travel (Tua, Kiki, me, and then Sefu), we stumbled upon a herd of gazelle grazing in a small valley! If their fantastic spiraling horns weren't enough, Tua pointed out a rustle in the brush on the other end of the valley. I looked hard, but couldn't see anything. Then the herd bolted forward with the speed of a broken river dam. Then I saw it.

Fast as lightning, the cheetah chased after an elderly gazelle, singling him out. He herded the gazelle away from the others. Then, it was the race. All three of my companions showed their excitement equal to mine; natural selection is phenomenal.

The gazelle knew he couldn't outrun the fastest animal on Earth, so he zigzagged through the brush, hoping his pursuer would lose interest. Yet that was not the case. The cheetah quickly gained ground and grabbed onto the haunches of his prey. This tore the gazelle to the ground were the cheetah finished the chase with a deft swipe at the neck.

Wow! How cool is that?

The danger I spoke of earlier is this: the cheetahs are too close for comfort. Sefu, Tua, and Kiki are suddenly awake and alert after evenings of tiredness. Their uneasiness makes me worried for the worse. Kiki said that we are too far away from her tribe to be there and be safe. So we are each forced to sit out the night; no one can sleep.

June 30, 2006

Late morning

You will never believe what happened over the past three days.

On the night of the 26th, all four of us, Sefu, Tua, Kiki and I, sat around our campfire hoping the cheetahs would ignore us. Sefu and Tua sat crouched in a ready stance in case the worst would happen.

Hours passed under our stress, the moon shone its first night of light; a silver sliver shone through the hazy skies. We sat quietly, not wanting to miss the sound of approaching footsteps that we wished would not come. Everything was quiet.

ROARRRRRRRR!!!!!! A cheetah snarled not five feet from our camp and stormed into the very center. Sefu and Tua raced to the attack with their long spear like weapons. They stabbed at the cheetah, aiming for its neck. Before any real damage could be done, the cheetah dashed into the cover of darkness.

Without a moments' hesitation, all of us grabbed our belongings, threw dirt on the fire and ran. We ran full speed in the direction of the Masai tribe, hoping that sentries would find us before the cheetah. In our usual column of four, we knew how each other walked and knew the pattern of their running.

Suddenly we heard a bloodcurdling screech behind us, I feared the worse. I looked, back and saw only darkness. Sefu was missing.

I didn't know any better so I stopped running and turned to look for Sefu. I had to walk back a ways to find him laying in a dark clearing at the base of a lone tree, unconscious, his right leg a mess and hands bloody. The cheetah was pacing around him, guarding its victim. Rage filled me. I picked up the nearest weapon I could find, a long rotten tree root, and started to beat at the cheetah, hoping it would leave and let Sefu alone.

Suddenly, it did what I hadn't expected; it turned on me. We toppled to the ground, me desperately defending underneath, and it on top, viciously attacking. I had the snarled root in my hands and shoved between the jaws of the cheetah. Its hind legs raked my thighs with razor sharp claws and forepaws clawed for my face. I kneed the animal in the side and flung it away from me. We circled; I did my best to stay between the animal and Sefu.

The cheetah, eyes twinkling with blood lust, mouth hissing a threat, lunged at me with all its might. Suddenly, a whistling sound was heard and then a thud as the cheetah landed inches from my feet, dead. A spear had pierced it heart.

I fell to my knees with fatigue and blood loss, my vision clouding and stomach rolling. I vomited and before I passed out, I saw many bright lights and dark figures swarm into the clearing. Then all was dark.

On the morning of the 28th, I finally woke up in a soft bed under warm blankets. I tried to move but found that every muscle in my body was hurt and injured and sore. My hands were splintered, my thighs were heavily damaged, and my face was scratched. I saw that all my wounds had been properly dressed and tended to and my cloths new and clean. I looked up and saw a white canopy spread forever, or so it seemed. I was alone in a tent with only my bed as furniture. At the base of my bed, I saw my pack, torn in a few places.

I listened for nearby sounds and got my answer by a wondrous burst of laughter from twenty people, men and women alike. Who could be so excited?

The opening to the tent suddenly filled up with a small woman. She wore intricate clothing and fancy jewelry that was as twisted as gazelle horns and striped as zebra hide. Carefully, she took the covers off of me and began to peel off the bandaging. That hurt, a lot, enough to make me pass out again but I think it was because I was still tired…

On the evening of the 28th, I woke again to find big brown eyes looking earnestly in to my face. I began to giggle, recognizing Kiki. She had my hand in hers, holding it tight. I told her I was fine and she sadly smiled back.

"It was my fault," she said, " I shouldn't have allowed you to come."

"No, Kiki," I protested, "I could have said no if I didn't think I could do it."

"But you didn't! You're all torn up!" she winced, realizing what word she'd used.

"Yes, I may be," I started carefully. "But the wounds will heal with time and it will be nothing more than a memory."

She was quiet for a moment, then, "A good memory or bad?"

"Kiki, you know anything with you involved is good."

She smiled at that and went quiet again.

"Sara, I haven't completely true with you," she announced.

"Oh?"

She took a deep breath and began, "My father, Lord rest his soul." Tears filled her eyes; I squeezed her hand comfortingly. "My father," she started again, "was more than a member of this tribe, he was the leader."

I believe I stopped breathing at this point. My friend was the daughter of a tribal leader? No way!!

"Since before he died," she continued, "many men have plotted against him, hoping to gain his power. Now that he is in rest, these men have claimed the position theirs. They are wrong."

Hatred filled her eyes, distorting her face.

"My father was a good man and they wish to destroy all that he has worked for! How dare they?"

I was careful with what I said, "Because your father is now peaceful, are you the new leader?"

She looked into the distance, as she had in the days past. Her eyes cleared and she looked at me, "Yes, Sara, I am. But only because my brothers are also in rest. I am the next choice."

I looked to the tent opening and saw that Tua was posted there.

"Is Sefu ok?" I asked, all the recent happenings storming to memory.

Kiki's face darkened, "It's hard to say, his wounds are deep and he lost much blood…my healer says he'll live, but all is questionable."

"I wish the best for him," I said sadly.

"As do I," came the response.

"How have things been going?" I asked nervously.

"The people are confused about what the future will bring with a woman leading them."

"Has this happened before?"

"Yes but too long ago to remember."

Suddenly my stomach let out an enormous growl. Kiki started to laugh so hard at the face I made that she almost cried. I started to laugh too but was attacked by another lurching growl. Before it could happen again, Kiki ordered food for the both of us.

We ate in silence the rest of the evening until Kiki was drawn away to the duties of a leader.

On the day of the 29th, yesterday, I woke up to find that I had been moved into a small house. Now I had a complex web of sticks and mud to observe while I healed myself. I wished I could be in the same place as Sefu but knew that it was best if I wasn't. If we were in the same structure, there would be a much more powerful chance of both of us getting sick and infected. I wouldn't want that for Sefu.

Instead I thought about how I would explain this to Granny and wondered how she would accept it…

I lay there in my soft bed and looked at the marvelous creations the patterns of sticks made on the ceiling of this small house. I guessed I could see George Washington's face, Abraham Lincoln's top hat, Marilyn Monroe's voluminous hair, and then I saw Sefu's kind face. I knew I had to see him _now_.

I slid out of bed, gently, and walked against the walls for support. I made it to the door and looked outside. There were many buildings like the one I was in, wooden, shanty, and simple. It was mid afternoon and everyone was busy; the kids in their rag-tag clothes played hide-and-go-seek, the mothers and fathers, with a variety of pants and shirts to traditional plaid cloth draped over their bodies, worked hard on the daily chores. Some adults talked in hushed whispers while others merrily enjoyed each other's laughter.

A group of warriors walked by and I recognized Tua. I waved to him and said hi, he looked at me skeptically but slowly waved his hand in return. I started to walk out of the shelter but noticed my legs were jelly and thought the better of it. Back into bed for me!

Kiki came to visit me late at night, right before I was about to fall asleep. She told me she can never find any free time but that's what she expected. We talked for a while until I started to yawn and she jumped to leave and let me rest

"No Kiki!" I protested. "You don't have to leave!"

"Look at you!" she exclaimed as I stifled another yawn. "You look as though you haven't slept in a week! Go to sleep!"

So that's what happened. Isn't that kinda freaky and yet exciting? I love Africa.

Today I can walk further and stand longer which makes me happy to know that I heal fast. I don't have any more facial bandages!!! Well accept one on my forehead but that's just small…

Wow! Writing all that made my hand tired and got me hungry!! Its nearly mid afternoon!

Evening

I asked one of the men who happened to be walking outside my hut if I could have a stool or a crate to sit on while outside. He quickly fetched a small but sturdy crate for which I thanked him profusely by giving him coins.

I sat on the crate thankful that the sun wasn't shining in my eyes and was on the other end of my hut. Looking around, I saw that the entire village was brilliantly located in a large clearing and on the rise of a small hill, clearly having the vantage point over predators.

The passerby's stare at me as I write in this journal with the same look of hostility and curiosity as do other Africans with other Americans. I either ignore their glares or smile sweetly back at them, both of these shut them up. As I flip through the pages of this journal. I reflect on how much I will miss being here in Africa, the place of adventure. On how much I love to be around Kiki and the animals and the new sights and _everything_!!!

Well as they say, all good things must come to an end, too bad it has to be now… But I know that I would not be wanted if I were permitted to stay here. Kiki would be wrapped up in her leader's duties and I would be a burden to everyone that I talked to…

Yet I know that I did have the greatest adventure of my life in just a three-week span!!!

Oh! Someone wants to say hi!!

Hi, this is Kiki as Sara calls me! I just wanted to say that Sara has been a great friend to travel with and be around! I hope she will come back soon and visit!

Esainkiki

Wow Kiki has some cool handwriting! Oh and she gave me her earrings to remember her bye! How nice!

Sere! Lesere! Olesere! Bye! Bye! Bye!

Sara M. Jones


End file.
